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TOBACCO SALES TO
MINORS... |
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In an effort to
break the cycle of teen addiction, I have introduced Assembly Bill
2443 on behalf of Governor Schwarzenegger. AB 2443 is part of
California’s continuing effort to reduce illegal tobacco sales to
minors.
After initially complying with The Stop Tobacco
Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act for several years, illegal
sales by retailers of tobacco to minors have climbed to alarming
rates during the past couple of years. Last year,
one-out-of-every-eight tobacco retailers – 12.2 percent – continued
to sell tobacco products to youngsters. Fifty percent of retailers
also failed to post the STAKE Act signs that provide age-of-sale
warnings with specific language at each point of sale location.
Subsequently, Governor Schwarzenegger is pushing for a stronger
enforcement against illegal tobacco sales to minors.
Assembly Bill 2443 would:
- Substantially increase the range of penalties upon retailers,
distributors, manufacturers, wholesalers, and importers for
selling cigarettes and tobacco products to minors.
- Substantially increase the penalties for failure to post the
STAKE Act warning signs.
- Ensure that local law enforcement has authority to enforce the
STAKE Act in local communities and to levy fines.
Not only
is it illegal to sell tobacco products to minors, but young persons
also face serious health implications from smoking. Studies show
that smoking by youngsters can hamper lung growth and the level of
maximum lung function. In addition, resting heart rates of young
adult smokers are two to three beats per minute faster than those of
nonsmokers.
Selling tobacco to children is a serious offense
and must be met with serious repercussions. While I am pleased that
the majority of California retailers comply with existing law,
Assembly Bill 2443 will enforce accountability on those retailers
who choose to continue to break the law and place the health of our
children at risk.
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CONGESTION EASING ON HIGHWAY
91... |
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According to a
new study by the Corona Public Works Department, traffic congestion
is easing along the 11-mile stretch of Highway 91 that runs between
the Interstate 15 intersection and the Riverside-Orange county line.
The study attributes the newfound congestion relief to the
recent opening of a new westbound lane on Hwy. 91. The study also
found that the average speed for motorists on their morning commutes
has more than doubled since Caltrans opened the lane last Sunday.
The widened freeway is the culmination of work I began three
years ago year to provide long-overdue relieve to Orange County
commuters from the horrible congestion on Hwy. 91.
In 2001,
I introduced Assembly Bill 1346, which would have authorized
Caltrans to accelerate the delivery of specified improvements to
highway lanes near the SR-91 Toll Road project. The following year,
I authored AB 1010, which enabled the Orange County Transportation
Authority (OCTA) to purchase the State Route 91 lanes so that the
agency could pursue badly needed traffic improvements. The Governor
signed AB 1010 into law in September, 2002.
Orange County’s
commuters on Hwy. 91 can hopefully now spend more of their valuable
time doing something else besides waiting at a standstill in heavy
traffic!
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PLACENTIA’S RAIL
CROSSINGS… |
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I recently
attended a briefing in Placentia on the city’s congestion management
and railway safety projects. Also attending this briefing was Sunne
McPeak, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Secretary for the Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency.  Right before Christmas last year, I
personally contacted Secretary McPeak with concerns I had about
Governor’s budget proposal to backfill the state’s General Gund with
gasoline sales taxes and how it could impact the timely completion
of the city’s transportation projects.
Secretary McPeak
listened to my concerns and requested additional information from me
on these projects, which I promptly provided. She subsequently told
me that she has instructed her staff to launch an analysis to check
the projects’ status and measure them by a new standard: How much
would each project help boost jobs and housing in its area?
I
appreciate the fact that, even with the state’s ongoing budget
problems, there still appears to be interest by the Schwarzenegger
Administration to do what it can to help move these worthwhile
projects forward towards a timely completion date.
- Friday, March 5, 9:30 am - 10:30 am, Read Across America, El
Cerrito School, 1051 N. Hillside Street, La Habra
- Friday, March 5, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, Women Leaders Network
Policy Summit, Balboa Bay Club, 1221 West Coast Highway, Newport
Beach
- Friday, March 12, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, CEWAER Leadership
Conference, Crowne Plaza Anaheim, 12021 Harbor Boulevard, Garden
Grove
- Friday, March 12, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm, YWCA of N. Orange County
Chocolate Fantasy, Embassy Suites, 900 East Birch Street, Brea
- Saturday, March 27, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, CA Association of
Library Commissioners and Trustees Panel Discussion, Fullerton
Library, 353 W. Commonwealth, Fullerton
| Committees: |
Aging and Long-Term Care (Chair), Appropriations,
Budget, Local Government, Rules, and Water Parks and
Wildlife | |
